Xi Jinping praises Kim for Trump summit
BEIJING Chinese President Xi Jinping offered high praise to visiting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un yesterday, lauding the "positive" outcome of his historic summit with US President Donald Trump and promising unwavering friendship.
Meeting Mr Kim on his third trip to China this year, and just a week after Mr Kim met Mr Trump in Singapore, Mr Xi said China was willing to keep playing a positive role to promote the peace process on the Korean peninsula.
The visit was the latest in a flurry of diplomatic contacts, and unlike his previous two visits to China, the government announced his presence while he was in the country rather than waiting for him to leave.
Mr Xi told Mr Kim that he was happy to see the "positive" outcome of the meeting with Mr Trump, and the important consensus reached on denuclearisation and setting up a lasting peace mechanism, according to Chinese state television.
"No matter the changes in the international and regional situation, China's party and government's resolute position on being dedicated to consolidating and developing Sino-North Korea relations will not change," the report cited Mr Xi as saying.
North Korean state media had not mentioned Mr Kim's visit by early evening.
DENUCLEARISATION
Mr Trump agreed to work with Mr Kim towards complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, committed to provide the North with security guarantees and pledged to end "war games" with South Korea, which North Korea and China have long seen as provocative.
South Korea and the Pentagon announced that they would halt the annual Freedom Guardian military drill scheduled for August.
China has been particularly pleased by Mr Trump's decision to suspend military drills with South Korea. It has long proposed a "dual suspension", whereby North Korea stops weapons tests and the US and South Korea stop military drills, to encourage talks.
"South Korea and the US have agreed to suspend all planning activities regarding the Freedom Guardian military drill scheduled for August," South Korea's Defence Ministry said in a statement.
The Pentagon confirmed the suspension, adding in a statement there would be a meeting of the secretaries of defence and state as well as Mr Trump's national security adviser on the issue this week.
The decision to halt military exercises in South Korea has bewildered many current and former US defence officials, who learnt about it only when Mr Trump announced it in Singapore, after the summit with Mr Kim. - REUTERS
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